There also have been cases found in children of Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange.

"It's usually found before they're born," Armstrong said. "But mine was not found.

"It was just shocking. Everybody wants a healthy baby. You just don't know ... why this has happened."

Blaze wears braces on his legs and has a shunt in his head.

Decesare said about 95 percent of people with spina bifida have shunts. "It redirects the fluid in their ventricles," she said. "It redistributes it into their abdomen, so that their body can get rid of the fluid."

She said every three to four years the shunt has to be tested and, if necessary, repaired or removed by surgery.

Decesare said because of dramatic strides in technology and surgical procedures, the lifespan of a person with spina bifida has increased.

"I think the infection rate is down," she said. "We do a lot better job of detecting it (now). ... We have external drains. Technology as a whole has greatly improved. There's also all kinds of new surgeries."

However, despite some patients being treated who are in their 30s, she said, people with spina bifida do have learning challenges.

"Just because of the hydrocephalus," Decesare said. "The brain is shaped differently. ... Typically they have a lot of difficulty in math (but) their verbal skills are extremely heightened. (However), their nonverbal skills are really lacking,"

According to the Spina Bifida Web site, hydrocephalus occurs when there is a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid within the head, usually because of inadequate absorption of the CSF.

The site states: "Hydrocephalus can be likened to a bathroom tub with the faucet always on and a partially clogged drain."

Decesare said it was not easy dealing with a child - emotionally and financially - with spina bifida.

"The first five years is very, very traumatic for the family," Decesare said. "There's always complications in the first six months. When they're identified, we can't really give them insight on what caused it."

Armstrong said Blaze has proved doctors wrong.

"The first pediatrician that we talked to said he would not walk and that he would be in a wheelchair," she said. "That was so not true."

Blaze visits his various physicians all at once at the Children's Hospital once every six months, she said. He has physical therapy twice a month at home and at the Children's Hospital.

"Anytime he runs a fever we think it's infection or a shunt malfunction," Armstrong said.

Before he turns 2 years old, Armstrong said, Blaze will have surgery on his feet, which are inverted.

She said all in all, Blaze lives a normal life.

"He is just a wonderful child, a joy to be around," Armstrong said. "He will cackle so loud when he gets tickled. He loves dogs. Every time he sees a dog he barks like a dog. And he gets in all of our vehicles like he's driving."

She said he loves to swim and she and husband Gabe are looking to enroll Blaze in water therapy.

"He will live a normal life," she said. "I have every confidence he will live a long, fruitful life and get married if he chooses to and have children.

"I know that he'll live a normal life - whatever a normal life is."

Patricia Switzer, president and executive director of the Spina Bifida Association of Alabama, said awareness is the main reason for the Bowl-A-Thon.

"Once they learn about it," she said, "I hope that they'll want to help."

She said there will be a raffle and several door prizes.

The team and individual who raise the most money will receive an award, she said. Also, the bowler with the highest and lowest scores will be rewarded.

Switzer said participants should come out and expect a good time.

"You're going to have a great time," she said. "You are going to get to know some folks that are living with this.

"If we don't raise funds, we don't have a program."

More than $10,000 was raised from bowling events last year.

"We'd love to double what we did last year," Decesare said.

Armstrong said several local businesses have signed on to sponsor a team - among them, Gold's Gym and Lawley Drug - and many have donated money and given gift certificates and other items for the raffle.

Armstrong said the goal is to have at least 12 five-member teams.

"If 60 (bowlers) can talk to five to 10 other people, then we've educated 300 to 600 people about spina bifida," she said. "Research is desperately needed."

Donations are tax deductible, she said. Team sponsorship is $125 per five-person team.

For more information or to sponsor a team, call Switzer at 325-8600 or Angie Pate at 295-0757 or visit the Spina Bifida Association of Alabama's Web site at www.sbaofal.org.

<p class="bold allcaps">Local fundraiser planned for Spina Bifida Association</p>
<p>Residents are urged to bowl, learn and meet new friends. The state Spina Bifida Association will host a Bowl-A-Thon from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. Oct. 13 at Paradise Bowling Lanes in Rainbow City.</p><p>The purpose of the event is to raise community awareness and generate money that will benefit the Spina Bifida Association of Alabama.</p><p>"We're hoping this year this Bowl-A-Thon is going to be a big success," said Betsy Decesare, spina bifida coordinator at Children's Hospital.</p><p>Decesare said the organization hosts bowling events like these each year at locations around the state, and this is the first for the Gadsden area.</p><p>She said the Bowl-A-Thons, which also take place in Huntsville, Montgomery and Birmingham, are the organization's primary fundraisers.</p><p>Spina bifida is a birth defect in which the vertebrae do not form properly around the spinal cord.</p><p>It develops in a fetus early in pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant.</p><p>According to the WebMD Web site, in the United States about one in every 2,000 children is born with spina bifida.</p><p>Doctors have identified a link to folic acid intake before pregnancy to lessen the chances of developing spina bifida.</p><p>"In half the cases, it's detected prenatally," Decesare said. "... A huge population comes from the Etowah County area."</p><p>Gadsden resident Megan Armstrong, whose 14-month-old son, Blaze, is living with spina bifida, said she's hoping attendees donate, get educated and have a fun time.</p><p>Armstrong said another reason she's looking forward to the event is to meet other families like hers.</p><p>"We want to form a support group," she said. "We want to meet and have our children get together. We really don't have that right now in Gadsden.</p><p>"We're just going to try to have as many people as we can there. We want all the children and families to meet and get to know each other."</p><p>Spina bifida's exact cause is largely unknown. It's partly genetic and partly environmental, Decesare said.</p><p>There also have been cases found in children of Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange.</p><p>"It's usually found before they're born," Armstrong said. "But mine was not found.</p><p>"It was just shocking. Everybody wants a healthy baby. You just don't know ... why this has happened."</p><p>Blaze wears braces on his legs and has a shunt in his head.</p><p>Decesare said about 95 percent of people with spina bifida have shunts. "It redirects the fluid in their ventricles," she said. "It redistributes it into their abdomen, so that their body can get rid of the fluid."</p><p>She said every three to four years the shunt has to be tested and, if necessary, repaired or removed by surgery.</p><p>Decesare said because of dramatic strides in technology and surgical procedures, the lifespan of a person with spina bifida has increased.</p><p>"I think the infection rate is down," she said. "We do a lot better job of detecting it (now). ... We have external drains. Technology as a whole has greatly improved. There's also all kinds of new surgeries."</p><p>However, despite some patients being treated who are in their 30s, she said, people with spina bifida do have learning challenges.</p><p>"Just because of the hydrocephalus," Decesare said. "The brain is shaped differently. ... Typically they have a lot of difficulty in math (but) their verbal skills are extremely heightened. (However), their nonverbal skills are really lacking,"</p><p>According to the Spina Bifida Web site, hydrocephalus occurs when there is a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid within the head, usually because of inadequate absorption of the CSF.</p><p>The site states: "Hydrocephalus can be likened to a bathroom tub with the faucet always on and a partially clogged drain."</p><p>Decesare said it was not easy dealing with a child - emotionally and financially - with spina bifida.</p><p>"The first five years is very, very traumatic for the family," Decesare said. "There's always complications in the first six months. When they're identified, we can't really give them insight on what caused it."</p><p>Armstrong said Blaze has proved doctors wrong.</p><p>"The first pediatrician that we talked to said he would not walk and that he would be in a wheelchair," she said. "That was so not true."</p><p>Blaze visits his various physicians all at once at the Children's Hospital once every six months, she said. He has physical therapy twice a month at home and at the Children's Hospital.</p><p>"Anytime he runs a fever we think it's infection or a shunt malfunction," Armstrong said.</p><p>Before he turns 2 years old, Armstrong said, Blaze will have surgery on his feet, which are inverted.</p><p>She said all in all, Blaze lives a normal life.</p><p>"He is just a wonderful child, a joy to be around," Armstrong said. "He will cackle so loud when he gets tickled. He loves dogs. Every time he sees a dog he barks like a dog. And he gets in all of our vehicles like he's driving."</p><p>She said he loves to swim and she and husband Gabe are looking to enroll Blaze in water therapy.</p><p>"He will live a normal life," she said. "I have every confidence he will live a long, fruitful life and get married if he chooses to and have children.</p><p>"I know that he'll live a normal life - whatever a normal life is."</p><p>Patricia Switzer, president and executive director of the Spina Bifida Association of Alabama, said awareness is the main reason for the Bowl-A-Thon.</p><p>"Once they learn about it," she said, "I hope that they'll want to help."</p><p>She said there will be a raffle and several door prizes.</p><p>The team and individual who raise the most money will receive an award, she said. Also, the bowler with the highest and lowest scores will be rewarded.</p><p>Switzer said participants should come out and expect a good time.</p><p>"You're going to have a great time," she said. "You are going to get to know some folks that are living with this.</p><p>"If we don't raise funds, we don't have a program."</p><p>More than $10,000 was raised from bowling events last year.</p><p>"We'd love to double what we did last year," Decesare said.</p><p>Armstrong said several local businesses have signed on to sponsor a team - among them, Gold's Gym and Lawley Drug - and many have donated money and given gift certificates and other items for the raffle.</p><p>Armstrong said the goal is to have at least 12 five-member teams.</p><p>"If 60 (bowlers) can talk to five to 10 other people, then we've educated 300 to 600 people about spina bifida," she said. "Research is desperately needed."</p><p>Donations are tax deductible, she said. Team sponsorship is $125 per five-person team.</p>
<p class="italic font120">For more information or to sponsor a team, call Switzer at 325-8600 or Angie Pate at 295-0757 or visit the Spina Bifida Association of Alabama's Web site at www.sbaofal.org.</p>